NBA general managers don’t expect the Miami Heat to get back to the NBA Finals this season, but they continue to think highly of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. In this year’s NBA preseason survey of general managers, Spoelstra nearly swept the coaching categories for the second straight season. He was voted the best head coach in the NBA (73 percent of vote), best manager/motivator of people (37 percent), the head coach who makes the best in-game adjustments (43 percent) and head coach with the best defensive schemes (40 percent). But the survey of general managers also predicted the Heat to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference this season behind the No. 1 Boston Celtics, No. 2 Milwaukee Bucks, No. 3 Cleveland Cavaliers, No. 4 Philadelphia 76ers and No. 5 New York Knicks. The Celtics and Denver Nuggets finished tied with 33 percent of the vote for the team that general managers expect to win the NBA Finals this season.
The general managers responded to 50 questions about the best teams, players, coaches and offseason moves. General managers were not permitted to vote for their own team or personnel, and percentages are based on the pool of respondents to that particular question rather than all 30 general managers. With the results of the survey released Tuesday, here are the other categories that the Heat received at least one vote in
Heat star Jimmy Butler was among those who received votes for the best shooting guard in the NBA. The top five in this category: Phoenix’s Devin Booker (63 percent), Golden State’s Stephen Curry (10 percent), Dallas’ Luka Doncic (7 percent), Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards (7 percent) and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (7 percent). 
Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was selected by the Heat with the 18th overall pick in this year’s draft, finished tied with the second-most votes (10 percent) for rookie who was the biggest steal at where he was picked in the draft. Houston’s Cam Whitmore (43 percent) received the most votes for this category, and Utah’s Keyonte George (10 percent) and Portland’s Scoot Henderson (10 percent) finished tied with Jaquez.
Butler was among those who received votes for the best perimeter defender in the NBA. The top five in this category: Boston’s Jrue Holiday (50 percent), Brooklyn’s Mikal Bridges (13 percent), Chicago’s Alex Caruso (10 percent), Memphis’ Marcus Smart (10 percent) and Los Angeles’ Kawhi Leonard (7 percent). Heat center Bam Adebayo received the third-most votes (13 percent) for the most versatile defender in the NBA behind only Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (37 percent) and Golden State’s Draymond Green (23 percent).
The Heat received the fourth-most votes (10 percent) for the best defensive team in the NBA behind only the Celtics (47 percent), Memphis Grizzlies (17 percent) and Bucks (13 percent). Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn was among those who received votes for the best assistant coach in the NBA. Denver’s Jordi Fernandez ranked first in this category with 31 percent of the vote.
The Heat was among those that received votes for the team that will have the league’s most efficient offense this season. The top five in this category: Nuggets (34 percent), Sacramento Kings (21 percent), Golden State Warriors (14 percent), Celtics (10 percent), Bucks (7 percent) and Phoenix Suns (7 percent). Butler finished tied with Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard and Golden State’s Chris Paul with the fourth-most votes (7 percent) for the player who’s the best leader. The players that received more votes than Butler were Los Angeles’ LeBron James (27 percent), Curry (23 percent) and Denver’s Nikola Jokic (17 percent). Butler finished tied with Jokic with the fourth-most votes (7 percent) for the player you want taking a shot with the game on the line. The players who received more votes than Butler were Curry (37 percent), Phoenix’s Kevin Durant (27 percent) and Lillard (17 percent). Adebayo did not receive a vote for the best defensive player in the NBA. The top five in this category: Antetokounmpo (40 percent), Holiday (13 percent), Green (10 percent), Smart (10 percent), Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. (7 percent) and Leonard (7 percent).
